DE102022134955A1 - SUSPENSION SYSTEM WITH IMPROVED JOINT MOBILITY - Google Patents

Abstract

An adaptive suspension damper may include a body defining a working chamber and a bushing operatively coupled to the body to alternately open the working chamber to allow working fluid relative to compression and rebound events occurring at the adaptive suspension damper occur, enter or exit the working chamber, and close the working chamber to allow the piston head to function as a hydraulic piston within the working chamber to selectively adjust a position of a piston head in the working chamber to adjust a height of a corner of a vehicle , where the adaptive suspension damper is located.

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

Exemplary embodiments relate generally to vehicle suspension, and more specifically relate to a suspension system with an ability to convert to an active suspension with discrete corners having increased articulation.

BACKGROUND ART

Vehicles typically employ independent suspension that allows each wheel to move relative to the vehicle chassis independently of the other wheels. The components and geometries used for independent suspension designs can vary to some degree. However, a typical independent suspension system employs shock absorbing devices (or simply "shock absorbers") that are designed to provide damping for heave (i.e., vibration along the vehicle's vertical axis), pitch (i.e., vibration about a vehicle's lateral axis), roll (i.e., vibration about a longitudinal axis of the vehicle) and single wheel disturbances that can occur. Shock absorbers generally resist compression and rebound with damping forces applied over a portion of a piston rod's travel.

The shock absorbers selected for a particular vehicle are generally chosen based on anticipation of normal pitch, roll, and single wheel event scenarios encountered during routine driving conditions. Meanwhile, high performance vehicles or vehicles designed for off-road operation may experience levels of heave, pitch, roll and wheel events that are much higher than normal and may therefore require higher damping forces to allow for the vehicle control found in these more extreme environments is required. However, this comes at a trade-off in terms of vehicle handling or comfort, as the higher damping forces make the vehicle's handling stiffer, thereby transmitting more of the pavement's imperfections directly to the driver. Semi-active suspensions have been developed to address this by being able to vary the magnitude of the damping force at any given time and minimizing some of the tradeoffs, but they lack the ability to add force (eg (e.g. raise the vehicle body or extend a single wheel) or remove a force (e.g. lower the vehicle body or raise a wheel).

While some vehicles include components designed to allow ride height adjustment by adding or removing force, each adjustment to the same is typically made for the entire vehicle. In addition, such a change in increasing direction would tend to prevent articulation of a single wheel. Thus, a more adaptive and powerful enhancement may be desired.

SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

According to an exemplary embodiment, a suspension control system may be provided for a vehicle. The system may include a plurality of wheels associated with respective corners of the vehicle, a plurality of wheel speed sensors, at least one of the wheel speed sensors corresponding to each respective one of the wheels for sensing a wheel speed of each respective one of the wheels, an adaptive suspension damper associated with each of the associated with respective corners of the vehicle and include a controller. The controller may be operatively coupled to the wheel speed sensors and the adaptive suspension damper to selectively adjust a height of a selected corner of the vehicle to shift vehicle weight distribution in response to a measured wheel speed indicative of a presence of slip at a wheel.

In another exemplary embodiment, an adaptive suspension damper may be provided. The adaptive suspension damper may include a body defining a working chamber and a bushing operatively coupled to the body to alternately open the working chamber to allow working fluid relative to compression and rebound events occurring at the adaptive suspension damper occur, enter or exit the working chamber, and close the working chamber to allow the piston head to function as a hydraulic piston within the working chamber to selectively adjust a position of a piston head in the working chamber to adjust a height of a corner of a vehicle , where the adaptive suspension damper is located.

character list

• 1A veranschaulicht eine perspektivische Ansicht eines Fahrzeugs, das auf leicht hügeliges Gelände trifft, und bestimmter Komponenten eines Federungssystems des Fahrzeugs gemäß einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform;
• 1B veranschaulicht eine schematische Darstellung eines Fahrzeugs, das auf ein Hindernis trifft, vor der Umstellung des Federungssystems gemäß einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform;
• 1C veranschaulicht eine schematische Darstellung des Fahrzeugs, das auf das Hindernis trifft, vor während der Umstellung des Federungssystems gemäß einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform;
• 2 veranschaulicht eine schematische Darstellung eines Federungssystems gemäß einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform;
• 3 veranschaulicht eine schematische Darstellung eines positionsempfindlichen Dämpfers gemäß einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform;
• 4 veranschaulicht einen Querschnitt durch eine Buchse und einen Körper eines positionsempfindlichen Dämpfers gemäß einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform;
• 5 ist eine perspektivische Ansicht der Buchse und des Körpers aus 4 am gleichen Punkt des Querschnitts gemäß einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform;
• 6 ist eine Seitenansicht der Buchse und des Körpers aus 4 gemäß einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform, während Aussparungen darin nicht übereinstimmend ausgerichtet (oder abweichend ausgerichtet) sind;
• 7 ist eine perspektivische Ansicht der Buchse und des Körpers aus 6 gemäß einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform, während Aussparungen darin nicht übereinstimmend ausgerichtet (oder abweichend ausgerichtet) sind;
• 8 ist eine Seitenansicht der Buchse und des Körpers aus den 6 und 7 gemäß einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform, während Aussparungen darin übereinstimmend ausgerichtet sind; und
• 9 ist eine perspektivische Ansicht der Buchse und des Körpers aus den 6-8 gemäß einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform, während Aussparungen darin übereinstimmend ausgerichtet sind.

Having thus generally described the invention, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which are not mandatory are drawn to scale and where:

• 1A 12 illustrates a perspective view of a vehicle encountering rolling terrain and certain components of a suspension system of the vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment;
• 1B 12 illustrates a schematic representation of a vehicle encountering an obstacle prior to the conversion of the suspension system, according to an exemplary embodiment;
• 1C 12 illustrates a schematic representation of the vehicle hitting the obstacle prior to during the suspension system transition according to an exemplary embodiment;
• 2 12 illustrates a schematic representation of a suspension system according to an exemplary embodiment;
• 3 12 illustrates a schematic representation of a position sensitive damper according to an exemplary embodiment;
• 4 12 illustrates a cross section through a bushing and body of a position sensitive damper according to an exemplary embodiment;
• 5 12 is a perspective view of the bushing and body of FIG 4 at the same point of the cross-section according to an exemplary embodiment;
• 6 Figure 12 is a side view of the bushing and body 4 according to an exemplary embodiment, while recesses therein are misaligned (or misaligned);
• 7 12 is a perspective view of the bushing and body of FIG 6 according to an exemplary embodiment, while recesses therein are misaligned (or misaligned);
• 8th Fig. 12 is a side view of the bushing and body of Figs 6 and 7 according to an exemplary embodiment, while recesses therein are aligned; and
• 9 12 is a perspective view of the bushing and body of FIGS 6-8 according to an example embodiment, while recesses therein are aligned in register.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some example embodiments will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, example embodiments are shown. In fact, the examples described and illustrated herein should not be construed as limiting the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable needs. The same reference numbers denote the same elements throughout. Furthermore, the expression "or" as used in this document is to be construed as a logical operator which evaluates to true if one or more of its operands are true. In the sense used in this document, operative coupling is to be understood as meaning a direct or indirect connection which in any case enables a functional connection of components which are operatively coupled to one another.

Some exemplary embodiments described in this document can solve the problems described above. In this regard, some embodiments may provide, for example, an improved suspension system that employs switchable (or adaptive) suspension components that range from a semi-active suspension component (e.g., damping control only) to a fully active component (e.g., capable of is to add or remove power). When fully active, the convertible suspension components can raise or lower ride height on a per-wheel (or per-corner) basis to shift vehicle weight. By monitoring individual wheels of the vehicle for the presence of slip, a control system can determine when a particular wheel is slipping and then shift vehicle weight to place more weight on the wheel that is slipping. In this regard, the rationale that a frictional force (Ff) is equal to the friction coefficient (u) times the normal force (Fn) (i.e., Ff = u * Fn) can be used to shift weight to the normal force (Fn). a wheel that is slipping, thereby also increasing the frictional force to gain traction and either clear the lock or otherwise avoid locking, for example when driving over a slippery or slick surface. This ability can be specifically useful in terrain situations, such as rock crawling when hitting a rock or boulder that is slippery.

In some embodiments, wheel speed sensors may be deployed to detect wheel slip and ride height sensors may monitor ride height at each respective wheel or corner of the vehicle to provide either automatic or guided instructions regarding shifting weight by changing ride height at individual corners to provide. Alternatively or additionally, wheel position sensors may sense wheel position or suspension travel relative to a full range of possible suspension travel that can be achieved at each corner of the vehicle. Using the convertible suspension component mentioned above, individual corners can be controlled to enter an active suspension mode to adjust wheel position or travel as needed for each respective corner (or at least at the corner where a presence of wheel slip is sensed). increase or decrease.

In an exemplary embodiment, the convertible or adaptive suspension component may be a hydraulically actuated changeover body having a first state in which the convertible suspension component conventionally functions as a hydraulic cylinder with a fixed working volume against which a piston works for damping. However, a hydraulic circuit is operatively coupled to the hydraulically actuated changeover body to allow transition to a second state in which more (or less) fluid can be provided to one side of the piston. The ability to move the piston up or down to change wheel position relative to the full range of suspension travel is therefore provided hydraulically, allowing a switch to active suspension to reposition vehicle weight shift by changing wheel position. As a result, vehicle performance and driver satisfaction can also be improved.

1A 12 illustrates a perspective of a vehicle 100 employing a suspension system 110 of an exemplary embodiment. The suspension system 110 includes a plurality of ground-contacting wheels 120 and a convertible suspension damper 130 (e.g., a damper, shock absorbing device, or shock absorber convertible to an active suspension component) connected between each of the wheels 120 and a Body 140 or a chassis of the vehicle 100 is arranged. The convertible suspension damper 130 is operatively coupled to a shift circuit 135 operable to shift the convertible suspension damper 130 to the active state (eg, from a semi-active state). In some cases, the wheel 120 may be operatively coupled to the adjustable suspension damper 130 via a knuckle 150 . Additional connections may also be provided between the chassis and the steering knuckle 150 to stabilize the wheel 120, however, such connections are outside the scope of the exemplary embodiments.

As in 1A As shown, the vehicle 100 may encounter rough terrain 160 (which in some cases may include rocks or boulders). The body 140 of the vehicle 100 may tend to pitch up and down as shown by double-headed arrow 170 when traversing rough terrain 160 . Pitching may not occur evenly at the front and rear wheels as in 1A shown. Specifically, when hitting a single rock or boulder, one front wheel (or rear wheel) may hit the rock or boulder while the other does not. This means that only a single wheel could hit a specific obstacle at a given point in time. This can result in uneven effects on each wheel suspension component and therefore cause different amounts of compression and expansion of the adjustable suspension damper 130 of each wheel of the suspension system 110 as the adjustable suspension damper 130 at each corner of the vehicle 100 attempts to dampen the locally occurring motion. Because the convertible suspension damper 130 typically has a limited amount of linear travel for the piston rod therein at a specified ride height, uneven vehicle weight distribution can cause a wheel to begin to slip. To reduce this presence of slip and provide a smoother ride while maximizing the vehicle's 100 ability to maintain traction, example embodiments may configure the convertible suspension damper 130 to provide additional hydraulic reaction to either raise or lower ride height and thereby shifting weight to the wheel that is slipping. The additional hydraulic response capability may be controlled by a shift circuit 135, described in more detail below.

In this regard, as in 1B 1, a vehicle 180 is shown traversing an object 182 on ground 184. FIG. If the vehicle 180 has independent front suspension, the left front wheel 186 can traverse the object 182 and raise the front of the vehicle 180 accordingly. While a live axle would respond by forcing the right front wheel 188 down to maintain contact with the ground 184, independent front suspension may not be sufficient Having a range of travel to allow the right front wheel 188 to ground as shown in FIG 1B shown. By employing the convertible suspension damper 130 in each of the left front wheel 186 and the right front wheel 188, active adjustment of the suspension system can be provided, as shown in FIG 1C shown. In this regard, the left front wheel 186, as in 1C can be effectively raised (e.g., by venting hydraulic fluid from the top of the piston head in the convertible suspension damper 130) as shown by arrow 190, and the right front wheel 188 can be effectively lowered (e.g., by injecting hydraulic fluid under the piston head into the convertible suspension damper 130) as shown by arrow 192. Raising the left front wheel 186 and lowering the right front wheel 188 can ensure maximum wheel-to-ground contact and avoid the occurrence of slip. Components and strategies for making these adjustments are described in more detail below.

2 12 illustrates a block diagram of a vehicle 200 having an adaptive suspension system 210 according to an exemplary embodiment. As in 2 As shown, the adaptive suspension system 210 may operatively couple a chassis 220 of the vehicle 200 to the ground. In this regard, the adaptive suspension system 210 may include wheels 230, ride height sensors 240 (which could also or alternatively include wheel position sensors where mentioned later in this specification), wheel speed sensors (WSS) 242, and an adaptive suspension damper 250 (an example of the adjustable suspension damper 130 1A) include. An instance of each of the ride height sensors 240 and wheel speed sensors 242 may be located at respective corners of the chassis 220 (eg, front right, front left, rear right, and rear left corners). Each of the ride height sensors 240 , the wheel speed sensors 242 , and the adaptive suspension damper 250 may be operatively coupled to an electronic control unit (ECU) or other controller 260 of the vehicle 200 .

In an exemplary embodiment, the ground clearance sensors 240 may include sensors for each respective one of the wheels 230 . Thus, for example, a front left, front right, rear left, and rear right ride height sensor may be included among ride height sensors 240 . Likewise, among the wheel speed sensors 242, there may be a wheel speed sensor at front left, front right, rear left, and rear right. Thus, each individual corner or wheel may have corresponding wheel position information and/or wheel speed information associated with it, and the wheel position information and/or wheel speed information may be updated in real-time while the vehicle 200 is in operation.

The controller 260 (which may include processing circuitry that includes a processor and memory) may be operatively coupled to an active element of the adaptive suspension damper 250 (e.g., solenoid actuated or otherwise electrically actuated control valves (CV) 270) to control the active element based on a control algorithm 280 stored in or accessible to the controller 260. Actuation of the active element may cause hydraulic fluid to flow through a hydraulic circuit (eg, an example of shift circuit 135 ) that includes a hydraulic pump 290 and a reservoir 295 . Although 2 In particular, while FIG. 1 shows a single hydraulic pump, some embodiments may employ a separate pump at each corner of the vehicle 200 . Hydraulic fluid may be provided to or received from a selected (or more) one of the adaptive suspension dampers 250 based on the positioning of the control valves 270 . For example, hydraulic fluid may be pumped from reservoir 295 via hydraulic pump 290 to a portion of a selected one of adaptive suspension dampers 250 when control valve 270 of the selected one of adaptive suspension dampers 250 is open and hydraulic pump 290 is running.

In some cases, the hydraulic fluid may be pumped from reservoir 295 to the underside of a piston of the selected one of the adaptive suspension dampers 250 to raise the ride height or wheel position of a selected corner of the vehicle 200 by raising the piston within a working chamber of the selected one of the adaptive suspension dampers 250. Alternatively, hydraulic fluid may be pumped to the top of the piston of the selected one of the adaptive suspension dampers 250 to lower the ride height or wheel position of the selected corner of the vehicle 200 by lowering the piston within the working chamber of the selected one of the adaptive suspension dampers 250. In some examples, hydraulic fluid may be pumped to only one side (e.g., bottom) and drained from the other side (e.g., top) to make similar adjustments to both sides without pumping. In either case, excess fluid is allowed to flow back into reservoir 295.

The controller 260 may be configured to receive wheel position information from each of the Receive ride height sensors 240 along with wheel speed information from each of the wheel speed sensors 242 . In some embodiments, the controller 260 may determine (via the control algorithm 280) when a wheel is in slip based on the wheel speed information. In this regard, for example, if a measured wheel speed of one wheel is greater than the measured wheel speed of the other wheels by a threshold amount, it may be determined that the higher speed wheel is slipping. In some cases, the controller 260 may also reference a vehicle speed 297 to compare to the wheel speed information to determine when a wheel is spinning. For example, if the vehicle speed 297 is very low but the wheel speed is high, the speed differential may indicate that one (or more) of the wheels is spinning at a high wheel speed.

The ground clearance sensors 240 may provide information indicative of the current loading or weight distribution of the vehicle 200 . Based on the current load or weight distribution of the vehicle 200 and based on which wheel is slipping, the controller 260 may (again via the control algorithm) adjust the wheel position of one or more of the corners of the vehicle 200 to balance the weight distribution between the corners by actuating the control valve 270, one or more of the wheels to modify the damping (and ride height) for any selected ones of the adaptive suspension dampers 250 on an individual wheel basis. The weight shift may adjust the frictional force at the wheel that is slipping (e.g., via the equation provided above) and may provide improved traction.

In an exemplary embodiment, the control algorithm 280 may include a lookup table that defines different weight distribution strategies via assigning different wheel position settings for the corners based on current wheel position information and wheel speed information, and sometimes based on vehicle speed 297 and/or other parameters. For example, if the right front wheel is slipping due to losing ground contact, the right front wheel may be lowered toward the ground (e.g., by directing hydraulic fluid over the piston of the corresponding right front wheel adaptive suspension damper 250). At the same time, the controller 260 may raise the front left and rear right wheels and lower the rear left wheel to cause the suspension system 210 to maximize front articulation mobility. This may overcome an inherent deficiency of many independent front suspension systems versus a live front axle by allowing the vehicle to traverse obstacles that could otherwise not be traversed while maintaining all four wheel contact with the ground, as in Figures 1-3 above 1B and 1C shown.

In some examples, further enhancements may also be provided by allowing individual tire contact pressure to be measured. For example, a strain gauge may be provided in the tires of each of the wheels 230 to measure the contact pressure at each of the wheels 230. The strain gauge may measure a pressure at the tire contact patch of each of the wheels 230 in real time (or near real time). In such an example, the normal force may equal the measured pressure times the tire footprint. Thus, if the tire footprint is known and the pressure is measured, the normal force can be known at any time by measuring the pressure across the strain gauges. The lookup table and/or control algorithm 280 may define various weight shifting strategies to improve traction, which may include noticing when a wheel begins to lose traction by beginning to reduce tire contact patch pressure.

In an exemplary embodiment, the controller 260 may also be operatively coupled to a gyroscope 291 or other device capable of determining leveling information for the vehicle 100 in real time. In some embodiments, the control algorithm 280 may include a primary mode in which the leveling information provided by the gyroscope 291 is used to modify individual corner elevations associated with each wheel (as described above) to keep the vehicle 100 substantially level hold. However, if the primary mode of the control algorithm 280 is unable to maintain level or if wheel slip is detected, the control algorithm 280 may transition to a secondary mode where the wheel slip is addressed as described above. Such alternative control methods may provide a single controller that can select between algorithms to adjust individual corner heights to keep the body as level as possible (e.g., using the primary mode in most mild to moderate cases), but they can also help to maximize wheel travel and contact with the ground in extreme cases where one is present of wheel slip is detected using the secondary mode techniques described herein. The controller 260 may also be operatively coupled to a keypad 293 in some cases. The keypad 293 may be operable to manually control individual wheel positions. For example, the keypad 293 may include a first actuator and a second actuator (eg, shaped like a plus sign). Each such actuator is operable along a first axis (e.g., a horizontal axis) to increase and decrease wheel positions for a corner and is operable along a second axis (e.g., a vertical axis) to Increase and decrease wheel positions for another corner. By providing two such actuators, all four corners can be individually adjusted to manually control wheel position by either lowering the wheel toward the ground or raising the wheel off the ground using the techniques described herein. The keypad 293 could be mounted on the steering wheel, vehicle dashboard, overhead console, or any other location within easy reach of the driver. The keypad 293 may alternatively be implemented using switches, rockers, knobs, buttons, and so on.

In an exemplary embodiment, those referred to above with reference to FIG 2 processes described may be utilized by employing models modified for respective different loading levels for the vehicle 200 (corresponding to ground clearance or wheel position measurements). Optimization values can then be determined for corresponding different loading levels and stored in the lookup table stored in or otherwise accessible to the controller 260 . During operation of the vehicle 200, the controller 260 may then be configured to accept inputs from the ride height sensors 240 and wheel speed sensors 242 (and even tire strain gauges in some cases), which may indicate the cargo load currently being carried by the vehicle 200. However, since the ground clearance sensors 240 are location specific, not only may it be possible to generate an overall cargo load value, but it may also be possible to understand how the load is being carried by the vehicle 200 . Using the vehicle loading information determined by the ride height sensors 240 and using the vehicle speed 297, the controller 260 may be configured to utilize the lookup table or control algorithm 280 to determine optimal ride height, wheel position and/or settings. or find damping for the active suspension damper 250 associated with each respective one of the wheels 230 . The controller 260 may then provide instructions to control the adaptive suspension dampers 250 via the control valves 270 associated with each.

As noted above, in adaptive suspension damper 250, hydraulic fluid provided by an external source (e.g., hydraulic pump 290 and reservoir 295) may flow above or below a piston (e.g., a piston head) of adaptive suspension damper 250 be introduced to lower or raise the ride height of the vehicle 200 or raise or lower the wheel position at individual corners of the vehicle 200. Thus, in an exemplary embodiment, the adaptive suspension damper 250 may have orifices that alternately open and close to allow movement of hydraulic fluid around the piston (when open) to allow position sensitive damping, and then additional movement of fluid to and to seal the working chamber of the adaptive suspension damper 250 so that it can function as a hydraulic piston (when closed). In some embodiments, the control valves 270 may be the ports described above that alternately open or close to allow and prevent fluid flow into or out of the working chamber. In such an example, with the hydraulic pump 290 off and the control valves 270 open, the fluid may move through selected upper or lower ports (e.g., based on solenoid actuation or other selection means) to the location above or below the piston, allowing the shock absorber will act as a position dependent damper. In an exemplary embodiment, the working chamber may be a cylindrical body with recesses in the side (e.g. above and below the normal piston position) and a rotatable or slidable bushing may be provided outside the working chamber with corresponding recesses either coinciding with those of Working chamber are oriented (in the open position) or oriented differently (in the closed position). When the hydraulic pump 290 starts, the control valves 270 may be closed (e.g., by moving the rotatable or translatable sleeve to a position where the recesses of the sleeve are misaligned with those of the working chamber to close the control valves 270, overcoming the spring bias that holds control valves 270 nominally open). After that, the piston can be firmly supported in the working chamber like a hydraulic cylinder, but with a new ground clearance or new wheel positions based on the amount of fluid introduced under or over the piston. Alternatively, the control valves 270 can adjust the direction for fluid flow (e.g., into or out of the body 200). The 3-9 12 illustrate examples of portions of the adaptive suspension damper 250 of an example embodiment.

In this regard is 3 12 is a schematic side view of the adaptive suspension damper 250 of an example embodiment. As in 3 As shown, the adaptive suspension damper 250 can include a body 300 and a piston rod 310 extending into an end of the body 300 . A coupling member (not shown) having a sleeve may be provided at the opposite end of the body 300 to operatively couple to the steering knuckle 150 1A to facilitate. The piston rod 310 may include a main damper 320 (or piston head) disposed at one end thereof. Meanwhile, the opposite end of the piston rod 310 may be configured to be operatively coupled to the chassis of the vehicle 100 . The body 300 may include a fluid (e.g., hydraulic fluid, gas, or oil) capable of displacing from a side of the main damper 320 in response to a force applied to the piston rod 310 in either direction to move in the other direction (but with restricted free movement). In this regard, the example is made 3 compression occurs when the main damper 320 and piston rod 310 move up, and rebound occurs when the main damper 320 and piston rod 310 move downward. In either case, the main damper 320 effectively creates separate chambers and the fluid within resists movement of the piston rod 310 and main damper 320 . The compressed fluid resists movement of the main damper 320 but is able to flow along (or through) the main damper 320 in a controlled manner. In some cases, it may be possible to adjust the magnitude of the force exhibited by the main damper 320 (either at the design stage or after assembly), for example by adjusting the amount of fluid in the body 300 or the rate at which fluid is applied to the main damper 320 flows along or through it.

In some embodiments, the control valves 270 may be solenoid actuated and coordinated with the operation of the hydraulic pump 290 to control the introduction of fluid into the body 300 above the main damper 320 (or the withdrawal of such fluid) to control wheel position, as above noted (i.e. raising or lowering the wheel at each corner). For example, the magnet(s) may be an on/off type magnet which may normally be "off" when not powered, and the magnet(s) may ( by the controller 260) when the hydraulic pump 290 is on. However, other operational paradigms are also possible. In some cases, it may also be desirable for the adaptive suspension damper 250 to include bypasses or vent paths that run either through the main damper 320, around the main damper (e.g., via the body 300). Such diversions or bleed paths can facilitate controlling the rate of movement of fluid from a chamber above or below the piston head when open, and can facilitate trapping fluid within body 300 when closed, such that adaptive suspension damper 250 functions as a hydraulic piston can function. In an exemplary embodiment, the diversions or vent paths may be axially positioned at different locations such that the position of the piston rod 310 within the body 300 may dictate which diversions may be activated. In this regard, after the piston rod 310 has passed the axial location of a bypass, such a bypass may no longer be able to produce an effect. If all detours have been passed, there is no detour capability thereafter.

In an exemplary embodiment, a bushing member 330 may extend around and be coaxial with a portion of the body 300 . The socket member 330 may have a diameter sufficient for the body 300 to fit therein. The bushing member 330 may include recesses 332 disposed in sidewalls thereof and extending through the sidewalls of the bushing member 330 in the radial direction. The bushing member 330 may be operatively coupled to the body 300 such that a spring positions the recesses 332 to be misaligned with the recesses 340 . However, the sleeve member 330 can be rotated above a certain pressure within the body 300 to align the recesses 332 and the recesses 340 in registry to define a bypass or vent path within an outer body 350 . In 3 these recesses 332 are misaligned with recesses 340 formed in sidewalls of body 330 . However, when each of the sets of recesses 332/340 (e.g., those above or below the main damper 320) are in matching alignment, fluid can exit the body 300 via the appropriately opened bypass or vent path to one Provide internal redirection capability for the adaptive suspension damper 250. If the recesses 332/340 are thereafter taken out of alignment, the bypass or bleed paths are no longer available and the body 300 can be converted into a hydraulic piston. Opening the control valve 270 to admit fluid into or out of the body 300 above (or below) the main damper 320 can then either raise or lower the wheel at the appropriate corner of the vehicle 100 as described above.

In some embodiments, an infinite number of altitudes or wheel positions may be available between the upper and lower altitude/position limits. In such cases, the lookup table or other programming accessed by the controller 260 or in the control algorithm 280 may define each incremental height/position to which a particular corner should be adjusted under the sensed circumstances. In other cases, however, a limited number of heights/positions (e.g., low, medium, and high) may be defined, and such discrete heights/positions may again be determined via the lookup table or other programming referenced by the Controller 260 or the control algorithm 280 is accessed.

The 4-9 12 illustrate an example of a body 400 and bushing 410 that may be used to embody the adaptive suspension damper 250 of some embodiments. In this regard is 4 Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view through a point along the axial length of body 400 where recesses 420 are located. As in 4 As shown, the recesses 430 are also in the bushing 410 at the same axial location. In 4 For example, recesses 420 and 430 are misaligned and therefore the working chamber formed by body 400 is sealed (or closed). However, when sleeve 410 is rotated as shown by arrows 440, recesses 420 and 430 would be aligned to allow fluid flow out of aligned recesses 420/430, thereby defining a bypass or outlet path. 5 is a perspective view of the same situation shown in 4 (ie the same area at the cross-section line is considered).

The 6 and 7 12 show a side view of body 400 and bushing 410 (not in cross section) with another set of recesses 440 and 450 also in a misaligned (closed) condition. In the 6 and 7 For example, recesses 440 and 420 (ie, those on body 400) are shown shaded since they are not actually visible. Meanwhile, the show 8th and 9 Figure 14 is a side view of body 400 and bushing 410 with both recesses 420 and 430 and the other set of recesses 440 and 450 in a co-aligned (open) condition. While the examples from 4-9 employing a rotatable bushing over which recesses are rotated to achieve matching alignment, it is also possible for the bushing to be translated or otherwise moved axially (instead of being rotated). In such an alternative, the recesses may be radially aligned but axially offset. Shifting of the bushing can bring the recesses into consistent axial orientation for opening and misaligned axial orientation to close the corresponding ports/valves. In the alternative embodiment, opening can also be accomplished using hydraulic pressure and closing can be accomplished under spring pressure to return the bushing to a rest position.

A suspension control system for a vehicle can therefore be provided. The system may include a plurality of wheels associated with respective corners of the vehicle, a plurality of wheel speed sensors, at least one of the wheel speed sensors corresponding to each respective one of the wheels for sensing a wheel speed of each respective one of the wheels, an adaptive suspension damper associated with each of the associated with respective corners of the vehicle and include a controller. The controller may be operatively coupled to the wheel speed sensors and the adaptive suspension damper to selectively adjust a height of a selected corner of the vehicle to shift vehicle weight distribution in response to a measured wheel speed indicative of a presence of slip at a wheel.

The system of some embodiments (or simply the damper itself) may include additional features, modifications, enhancements, and/or the like to accomplish additional tasks or improve the performance of the system. The additional features, modifications, enhancements and/or the like can be added in any combination with one another. Below is a list of various additional features, modifications and enhancements that can be added individually or in any combination. For example, the system may include a hydraulic circuit that includes a pump and a reservoir. The hydraulic circuit can be operable to selectively adjust the height (e.g., ride height or wheel position relative to a range of suspension travel) of a selected corner. In an exemplary embodiment, the adaptive suspension damper may include a body defining a working chamber and a bushing operatively coupled to the body to alternately open the working chamber relative to compression and rebound events occurring at the adaptive suspension damper allow a working fluid to enter or exit the working chamber to selectively adjust the height of the selected corner; and close to allow a piston head to act as a damper within the working chamber. In some cases, the body may include a first recess on a first side of the piston head and a second recess on a second side of the piston head, the bushing having a third recess at a same axial location as the first recess and a fourth recess at a same axial location Position as the second recess may include. The sleeve may be moveable to align the first cavity with the third cavity and the second cavity with the fourth cavity to open the working chamber. In an exemplary embodiment, the sleeve may be moveable to orient the first cavity away from the third cavity and the second cavity away from the fourth cavity to close the working chamber. In some cases, the bushing can be moved to open the working chamber in response to operation of the hydraulic circuit and the bushing can be spring loaded to close the working chamber in response to the hydraulic circuit not being operational. In an exemplary embodiment, the controller may control one or more magnets that open or close bypass paths in or around the piston head. In some cases, the controller may compare the wheel speed of each respective one of the wheels to determine if the measured wheel speed differs from other wheel speeds by more than a threshold amount. In an exemplary embodiment, the controller may compare the wheel speed of each respective one of the wheels to the vehicle speed to determine if the measured wheel speed differs from the vehicle speed by more than a threshold amount. In some cases, the controller may execute a control algorithm to shift vehicle weight distribution by adjusting the height of the selected corner. In an example embodiment, the controller may execute the control algorithm automatically and without driver input. In some cases, each of the tires may include a strain gauge to detect a contact pressure, and the control algorithm may receive information indicative of the contact pressure to adjust vehicle weight distribution when the contact pressure of one of each of the wheels is below a threshold. In an exemplary embodiment, the control algorithm may access a lookup table to determine how to shift vehicle weight distribution. In some cases, the controller may execute the control algorithm as a leveling algorithm based on leveling information provided by a gyroscope, and the controller may interface with a keyboard to accept user input to manually adjust the elevation of the selected corner.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to the mind of one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it should be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Additionally, while the foregoing descriptions and associated drawings describe example embodiments in the context of particular example combinations of elements and/or functionality, it should be understood that different combinations of elements and/or functionality may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, combinations of elements and/or functions other than those explicitly described herein are also contemplated, for example as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Where advantages, benefits, or solutions to problems are described herein, it should be understood that such advantages, benefits, and/or solutions may be applicable to some example embodiments, but not necessarily all example embodiments. Thus, the advantages, benefits, or solutions described in this specification should not be construed as essential, necessary, or indispensible for all embodiments or what is claimed in this specification. Although specific terms are employed throughout this specification, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

According to the present invention, there is provided an adaptive suspension damper comprising Fol genedes comprises: a body defining a working chamber, and a sleeve operatively connected to the body for alternately: opening the working chamber to allow a working fluid to enter or exit the working chamber to generate a damping force based selectively adjusting a position of a piston head in the working chamber relative to compression and rebound events occurring at the adaptive suspension damper, and closing the working chamber to allow the piston head to function as a hydraulic piston within the working chamber to a height of a corner of a vehicle on which the adaptive suspension damper is located.

According to one embodiment, the body includes a first recess on a first side of the piston head and a second recess on a second side of the piston head, the bushing having a third recess at a same axial position as the first recess and a fourth recess at a same axial position including the second cavity, and wherein the sleeve is moveable to align the first cavity in registry with the third cavity and the second cavity in registry with the fourth cavity to open the working chamber.

According to one embodiment, the sleeve is moveable to orient the first recess away from the third recess and the second recess away from the fourth recess to close the working chamber.

According to one embodiment, the bushing is moved to close the working chamber in response to operation of a hydraulic circuit and the bushing is spring loaded to open the working chamber in response to the hydraulic circuit being inoperative.

In one embodiment, a transition between opening and closing the working chamber is controlled by a controller, and the controller controls one or more solenoids that open or close bypass paths in or around the piston head.

According to one embodiment, the controller is operatively coupled to wheel speed sensors and the adaptive suspension damper to selectively adjust a height of a selected corner of the vehicle to shift vehicle weight distribution in response to a measured wheel speed indicative of a presence of slip at a wheel.

According to one embodiment, a hydraulic circuit including a pump and a reservoir is operatively coupled to the controller, and the hydraulic circuit is operable by the controller to selectively adjust the height of the selected corner.

According to the present invention, there is provided a suspension control system for a vehicle, comprising: a plurality of wheels associated with respective corners of the vehicle; a plurality of wheel speed sensors, at least one of the wheel speed sensors corresponding to each respective one of the wheels, for detecting the wheel speed of each respective one of the wheels; an adaptive suspension damper associated with each of the respective corners of the vehicle; and a controller operatively coupled to the wheel speed sensors and the adaptive suspension damper to selectively adjust a height of a selected corner of the vehicle to shift vehicle weight distribution in response to a measured wheel speed indicative of a presence of slip at a wheel.

According to one embodiment, the system includes a hydraulic circuit that includes a pump and a reservoir, and wherein the hydraulic circuit is operable to selectively adjust the elevation of a selected corner.

According to one embodiment, the adaptive suspension damper includes a body defining a working chamber and a bushing operatively coupled to the body to alternately open the working chamber relative to compression and rebound events occurring at the adaptive suspension damper to allow allowing working fluid to enter or exit the working chamber, and close to allow a piston head to act as a hydraulic piston within the working chamber to selectively adjust the height of the selected corner.

According to one embodiment, the body includes a first recess on a first side of the piston head and a second recess on a second side of the piston head, the bushing having a third recess at a same axial position as the first recess and a fourth recess at a same axial position including the second cavity, and wherein the sleeve is moveable to align the first cavity in registry with the third cavity and the second cavity in registry with the fourth cavity to open the working chamber.

According to one embodiment, the sleeve is movable to deviate from the first recess according to the third recess and align the second recess deviating from the fourth recess to close the working chamber.

According to one embodiment, the bushing is moved to close the working chamber in response to operation of the hydraulic circuit and the bushing is spring loaded to open the working chamber in response to the hydraulic circuit being inoperative.

According to one embodiment, the controller controls one or more magnets that open or close bypass paths in or around the piston head.

According to one embodiment, the controller compares the wheel speed of each respective one of the wheels to determine if the measured wheel speed differs from other wheel speeds by more than a threshold amount.

According to one embodiment, the controller compares the wheel speed of each respective one of the wheels to the vehicle speed to determine if the measured wheel speed differs from the vehicle speed by more than a threshold amount.

According to one embodiment, the controller executes a control algorithm to shift vehicle weight distribution by adjusting the height of the selected corner.

According to one embodiment, the controller executes the control algorithm as a leveling algorithm based on leveling information provided by a gyroscope, and wherein the controller interfaces with a keyboard to accept user input to manually adjust the elevation of the selected corner.

According to one embodiment, each of the wheels includes a strain gauge to sense a contact pressure and the control algorithm receives information indicative of the contact pressure to adjust vehicle weight distribution when the contact pressure of one of each of the wheels is below a threshold.

According to one embodiment, the control algorithm accesses a lookup table to determine how to shift vehicle weight distribution.

Claims (15)

Adaptive suspension damper comprising: a body defining a working chamber, and a socket operatively coupled to the body for alternately: opening the working chamber to allow a working fluid to enter or exit the working chamber to selectively adjust a damping force based on a position of a piston head in the working chamber relative to compression and rebound events occurring at the adaptive suspension damper, and Closing the working chamber to allow the piston head to function as a hydraulic piston within the working chamber to adjust a height of a corner of a vehicle where the adaptive suspension damper is located. Adaptive suspension damper claim 1 , wherein the body includes a first recess on a first side of the piston head and a second recess on a second side of the piston head, the bushing having a third recess at a same axial position as the first recess and a fourth recess at a same axial position as includes the second cavity, and wherein the sleeve is moveable to align the first cavity in registry with the third cavity and the second cavity in registry with the fourth cavity to open the working chamber. Adaptive suspension damper claim 2 wherein the sleeve is moveable to orient the first recess differently from the third recess and the second recess differently from the fourth recess to close the working chamber. Adaptive suspension damper claim 3 wherein the sleeve is moved to close the working chamber in response to operation of a hydraulic circuit, and wherein the sleeve is spring loaded to open the working chamber in response to the hydraulic circuit being inoperative. Adaptive suspension damper claim 1 wherein a transition between opening and closing of the working chamber is controlled by a controller, and wherein the controller controls one or more solenoids that open or close bypass paths in or around the piston head. Adaptive suspension damper claim 5 wherein the controller is operatively coupled to wheel speed sensors and the adaptive suspension damper to selectively adjust a height of a selected corner of the vehicle to shift vehicle weight distribution in response to a measured wheel speed indicative of a presence of slip at a wheel. Adaptive suspension damper claim 1 wherein a hydraulic circuit including a pump and a reservoir is operably coupled to the controller, and wherein the hydraulic circuit is operable by the controller to selectively adjust the height of the selected corner. A suspension control system for a vehicle, the system comprising: a plurality of wheels associated with respective corners of the vehicle; a plurality of wheel speed sensors, at least one of the wheel speed sensors corresponding to each respective one of the wheels, for detecting a wheel speed of each respective one of the wheels; an adaptive suspension damper according to any one of Claims 1 - 7 associated with each of the respective corners of the vehicle; and a controller operatively coupled to the wheel speed sensors and the adaptive suspension damper to selectively adjust a height of a selected corner of the vehicle to shift vehicle weight distribution in response to a measured wheel speed indicative of a presence of slip at a wheel. system after claim 8 wherein the system includes a hydraulic circuit including a pump and a reservoir, and wherein the hydraulic circuit is operable to selectively adjust the elevation of a selected corner. system after claim 8 wherein the controller compares the wheel speed of each respective one of the wheels to determine if the measured wheel speed differs from other wheel speeds by more than a threshold amount. system after claim 8 wherein the controller compares the wheel speed of each respective one of the wheels to the vehicle speed to determine if the measured wheel speed differs from the vehicle speed by more than a threshold amount. system after claim 8 , wherein the controller executes a control algorithm to shift vehicle weight distribution by adjusting the height of the selected corner. system after claim 12 wherein the controller executes the control algorithm as a leveling algorithm based on leveling information provided by a gyroscope, and wherein the controller interfaces with a keyboard to accept user input to manually adjust the elevation of the selected corner. system after claim 12 wherein each of the wheels includes a strain gauge to sense a contact pressure, and wherein the control algorithm receives information indicative of the contact pressure to adjust vehicle weight distribution when the contact pressure of one of each of the wheels is below a threshold. system after claim 12 , wherein the control algorithm accesses a lookup table to determine how to shift vehicle weight distribution.

Images